Chris Columbus

Chris Columbus is a producer, director and screenwriter. While enrolled at NYU Film & TV, he sold his first screenplay, Jocks (never produced) as a sophomore. After graduation he sold his screenplay, Gremlins, to Steven Spielberg. He moved to Los Angeles to work on rewrites and developed two other scripts for Spielberg: Young Sherlock Holmes and The Goonies.

Columbus made his directorial debut with the teen comedy, Adventures in Babysitting that was followed by two great successes, Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire. He also took on the challenge of directing the much-anticipated movies, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in 2001 and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002.

In 2011, Columbus received an Academy Award nomination for producing The Help.